Marisel Meljen

Marisel attended Seton Hall University where she received her Masters in

Counseling Psychology and an Ed.S. in School Psychology. She has worked

predominantly in larger city schools in New Jersey until moving to Texas to leave

the snow behind. She has a daughter who is a physician that is currently working

at Duke. Her hobbies include photography or anything in the arts! She is looking

forward to not only working for Santa Fe Independent School District as a LSSP

but becoming a part of the community. Marisel will be working at Santa Fe

Junior High. Please welcome Marisel to our TRIBE!

James Fowler

James graduated with a Bachelor's of Human Science and Humanities in

Criminology from the University of Houston Clear Lake. He graduated

from Lamar University with his Masters of Science in Criminal Justice. He

has been a football coach at Navarro College, Houston Austin High School,

and the Director of Football Operations for McNeese State University.

James will be teaching History and coaching at Santa Fe High School.

Please welcome James to our TRIBE!

Chelsey Douglas

Chelsey attended the University of Houston Clear Lake and received her

Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She got married last year and

has a baby boy named Nash. She worked in SFISD for the Creative Explorers

program (before and after school care) and as a Kindergarten teacher. Chelsey

chose SFISD because this is her hometown and because she felt lucky to work

with the teachers who once made an impact on her when she was younger. This

is one of the many reasons why she decided to become a teacher. Chelsey will

be working at Kubacak Elementary. Please welcome Chelsey back to our

TRIBE!

Tami Wilson

Tami is originally from central Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from

Florida State University and has a Masters of Education in Guidance and

Counseling from Angelo State University. She enjoys traveling, attending sporting

events, and spending time with family. This is Tami's 16th year in education. She

previously taught in Florida and Texas. She has worked as an educator in Clear

Creek ISD and Texas City ISD. She is extremely excited to become a part of the

Santa Fe ISD Tribe, and can’t wait to meet her students and parents. She is

anticipating a wonderful year. Tami will be a counselor at Santa Fe High School.

Please welcome Tami to our TRIBE!

Brittany JohnsonBrittany is excited to start her new adventure with Santa Fe ISD, teaching 1st grade at RJ

Wollam Elementary. She is thrilled to be teaching in her hometown. After graduating

from Santa Fe High School she attended the University of Houston Clear Lake where

she earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education. While attending college she

worked as a cosmetology instructor. She taught in Texas City ISD as a second grade

teacher. Aside from teaching, she enjoys being a wife and a mother to her three kids.

Brittany also enjoys doing hair, crafts and outdoor adventures like hunting, fishing and

riding four wheelers. She looks forward to meeting her new students and coworkers.

Please welcome Brittany to our TRIBE!

WELCOME TO OUR TRIBE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE

Rhonda Price

Rhonda Price is originally from North Texas, where she attended Midwestern State

University for her Bachelor’s degree and the University of Texas at Arlington for

her Master’s. She moved to Houston in 2015 with her husband Brandon and three

daughters: Ariel (23), Autumn (21), and Ava (5) because she loves being near the

“big city.” She has been an educator in Texas for the past 14 years, and values the

relationships she has formed with her students each year. Rhonda cannot wait to

become part of the Santa Fe community, and is very excited about joining the

counseling team and getting to know everyone at Santa Fe High School! Please

welcome Rhonda to our TRIBE!

Ashley Bennett

Ashley is originally from Columbus, Ohio, but now lives in Dickinson, Texas.

He has been married for 20 years and has three sons. His professional

background is in electrical, HVAC and building automation. In his spare

time he enjoys coaching baseball, hunting and fishing. Ashley is excited to be

a part of the Santa Fe ISD Maintenance and Operations team. Please

welcome Ashley to our TRIBE!

Jenny VrazelJenny is married to a wonderful man and has an incredible 17 year old daughter who will

be a senior this year. She graduated from The University of Texas at Tyler with a degree

in Mathematics and has been teaching Math for 13 years. She spent 7 years teaching at

Clear Lake High School. After that she moved to Angleton where she taught at Angleton

High School for the past 6 years. Her hobbies include pretty much anything outside

with her 3 dogs and 9 goats. Jenny has heard wonderful things about Santa Fe and the

people who work there, so she is excited to be joining the Santa Fe High School team as

a Geometry teacher. She knows there are a lot of unknowns going into the 20/21 school

year, but is ready to take on the challenge of providing stability and an excellent

education to students through this crazy time. Please welcome Jenny to our TRIBE!

Max PhillipsMax graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in Music Education. He was a member of

the French Horn studio. He performed for various wind ensembles and orchestras at Texas

Tech and spent his summers performing in Drum Corps International. He has marched

with the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle

Corps, and The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Although this is his first year as a

teacher, he was a marching band instructor for Plainview High School and spent one

summer on staff with the Guardians Drum and Bugle corps. He chose to become a music

educator because he had fantastic experiences when he was in band, and would love to

provide the same for his students. During the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, Max looks

forward to helping students learn, no matter what challenges we may face. In his free time,

he enjoys fishing, swimming, grilling, the outdoors, and being around friends and loved

ones. Max will be teaching at Santa Fe High School. Please welcome Max to our TRIBE!

David Beran

David is originally from Waco, Texas. He has a Bachelor's degree in History with a minor

in Psychology from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He is certified by the

State of Texas in Composite Social Studies & ESL (English as a Second Language). He has

been the History Teacher for grades 7-12 at the Coastal Alternative Program (Dickinson

ISD) for the last 3 years. The 2020-2021 school year will be David's 4th year teaching and

first teaching and coaching at Santa Fe ISD. His free time consists of spending time with

his wife Carol, playing with his dog Jäger (and all their other pets), visiting with family &

friends, watching sports and slowly but surely restoring his 1978 Camaro. He is looking

forward to a great school year at Santa Fe High School! Please welcome David to our

TRIBE!

WELCOME TO OUR TRIBE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE

Rebecca MalishRebecca has a Bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in nuclear engineering with minors in

mathematics and physics. She has her Master's degree in mechanical engineering

because of her passion in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and multi phase flow

phenomenons! She worked for GE in an engineering leadership program called an Edison

engineer, for 10 years, traveling all over the world working on power plant projects of

various designs. After her third child, she decided to take on a more challenging role with

Siemens as a project manager managing multi million dollar projects. After working in

the industry she realized her true passion and calling is to serve by teaching the next

generation the principles of science and most importantly how to apply them to real life

applications to prepare them for the future. She loves the small town feel of Santa Fe.

Rebecca is really excited to meet everyone! She will be teaching at Santa Fe High School!

Please welcome Rebecca to our TRIBE!

John GummeltJohn and his family have lived in the Sugar Land area for several years. After 20

years of sales and sales management roles he decided to transition his interest in

working with teens and young adults and coaching competitive youth soccer to

become a full time teacher and sports coach. He received his B.A. degree in

Political Science from the University of Houston and his M.B.A. degree in

Marketing from the University of St. Thomas. His interests include international

travel, DIY projects, scuba diving, music, and relaxing with family and friends.

He is looking forward to teaching Social Studies and working with the teachers

and coaches at Santa Fe Junior High to inspire the students to learn, grow, and

achieve academic and athletic success. Please welcome John to our TRIBE!

Linda Evans

Linda grew up just down the road in Alvin. She currently lives in Friendswood,

where she has worked for the last 7 years. Her dog, named Penny, is the best

dog ever! She got her BA in Educational Studies from WGU, and is so excited

to put it to use here at Santa Fe Junior High! Her passion for teaching and her

love of reading will be evident in her 6th grade ELA classroom! She cannot

wait to see what this year brings! Please welcome Linda to our TRIBE!

Melissa Clark

Melissa will be a 6th grade math teacher at Santa Fe Junior High! She was raised just a

few miles up the road in Alvin, Texas. She earned her Education degree from the

University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2016. She's worked in Dayton ISD and Conroe ISD,

before deciding to plant some roots closer to home. In her spare time, she loves to

travel. From cage diving with sharks in Hawaii to attending concerts at Red Rocks in

Colorado, Melissa loves to be on the go doing something new. Being a teacher is her

true passion. "There is no better feeling than watching children grow up and learn

before your eyes". She cannot wait to kick off the 20-21 school year, hopefully with a

group of very rested new 6th grade students! Please welcome Melissa to our TRIBE!

Howard Theiss

Howard is a seventh generation Texan and a U.S. Army veteran. He is a

first generation college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sam

Houston State University and a Master of Education degree from

Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He has two grown children and

two grandchildren. Howard enjoys woodworking. He is looking forward to

a great year at Santa Fe High School teaching Science! Please welcome

Howard to our TRIBE!

WELCOME TO OUR TRIBE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE

Bernadette Oyarzabal

Bernadette holds a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies EC-6 with

supplemental ESL from the University of Houston Clear Lake. She has been a

substitute teacher in SFISD, but this will be her first year teaching. When she is not at

school you can find her outdoors. She enjoys camping, mudding, hiking, and taking

care of her garden. She is a lover of animals and currently has 2 cats, a dog, and a turtle.

Her husband served active duty for 11 years in the Navy and now they have returned

home to Texas where he continues to serve as a reservist. She is excited to be a part of

the SFISD tribe and looks forward to meeting everyone! Bernadette will be teaching

2nd grade at RJ Wollam Elementary. Please welcome Bernadette to our TRIBE!

Nuccia Pignataro

Nuccia is so excited to be back in Santa Fe schools . She graduated from

Santa Fe ISD and is forever a loyal Santa Fe Indian. She is a certified

Theatre Arts teacher and will be working at Kubacak Elementary for the

2020-2021 school year. Her most wonderful accomplishments are her twin

boys . They will be in junior high this year. She looks forward to serving

the students in the best school district in the world. Please welcome

Nuccia to our TRIBE!

WELCOME TO OUR TRIBE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE

RJ Wollam Assistant Principal

Mrs. Davidson is honored to have been chosen as the new Assistant Principal at R.J. Wollam Elementary. She looks forward to building strong relationships with staff members, students,

parents and community partners. She is committed to ensuring that each student has a rigorous, engaging and memorable experience at R. J. Wollam. Her three children attend school in SFISD, so

she recognizes how significant student achievement is in the early years.

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Le Moyne College. However, her education and positive school experiences inspired her to join the teaching profession after earning her Master’s Degree in Childhood Education at SUNY Cortland. After teaching for seven years, she realized her

passion for instructional leadership and attended Stephen F. Austin State University’s Principal Preparation Program.

As she enters her 13th year in elementary education at Santa Fe ISD, she feels fortunate that she

has had a variety of opportunities to prepare her for this important role. The last two years she has worked closely with teachers and school leaders as an instructional coach. "We truly have such a

special school community at R.J. Wollam Elementary and I am so excited to begin serving the campus as the assistant principal".

Sean McKinney

WELCOME TO OUR TRIBE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE

Santa Fe Junior High Principal

Congratulations to Flo Adkins for being named Santa Fe Junior High Principal!

Dr. Flo Adkins is married to Lt. Paul Adkins (DPS Highway Patrol) and has 3 children – Peyton (25), Aubrey (22), & Colton (19). She is beginning her 27th year in education which includes 13 years of administrative experience in K-12 education in Clear Creek ISD, La Porte ISD, and Texas City ISD. Dr. Adkins shares that she chose the field of education because of the power that teachers have “to change the world for the better”. She has been the Principal of La Marque Middle School for the past 4 years. Dr. Adkins is a graduate of La Marque High School, University of Houston at Clear Lake (Bachelors , Masters, and Superintendent certification), and Lamar University (Doctorate). Her hobbies include reading, going shopping in Fredericksburg, and spending time with family. Having lived in Galveston County her whole life, Dr. Adkins has always admired the supportive, family-oriented community of Santa Fe. She shared, “I am most excited about getting to know the Santa Fe Junior High students and staff and our community members. The support system that is in place in Santa Fe ISD is second to none. Working together, we will highlight the achievements of our talented students and staff and reach an accountability score of ‘A’ at Santa Fe Junior High.”